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Smith drowning highlights dangers of high-flowing rivers

A man who drowned Monday while floating the Smith River south of Great Falls became pinned under the boat after it capsized following a collision with a rock, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

A man who drowned Monday while floating the Smith River south of Great Falls became pinned under the boat after it capsized following a collision with a rock, according to the Cascade County Sheriff's Office.

Newbreast and another man, whose name was not released, were in a drift boat when it struck a rock broadside 10 miles south of Ulm and capsized, Edwards said.

Newbreast was pinned beneath the boat, which became stuck on a rock, the Sheriff's Office said.

The other man was able to make it to shore and went into the river several times in attempts and rescue Newbreast, Edwards said.

"The water was too cold and moving too fast for the male to effectively function after several attempts at the rescue," the Sheriff's Office said.

Life vests were available but not in use.

Another boat in the area traveled over 1 ½ miles to obtain cell service to make the 9-1-1 call, Edwards said.

The crash occurred about eight miles upstream of the Eden Bridge take out, which is the conclusion of a 59-mile Smith River trip that begins upstream at Camp Baker north of White Sulphur Springs.

"It's a tragedy," said Bruce Auchly, a spokesman for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, which also responded to the incident. "A guy drowns on the Smith River near the take-out point. It gives you respect for water any time of year, but especially now when rivers are high and water is cold."

Rivers throughout Montana are running high from melting snow and rain this spring.

At Eden Bridge, the Smith was flowing almost 1,700 cubic feet per second at the time of the accident, Auchly said.

The long-term average is about 950 cfs.

This year, FWP issued 1,300 Smith River float permits out of 10,500 applications.

The popular float is a semi-wilderness experience.

"Andy everyone who launches is given a talk by river rangers at Camp Baker about the hazards that could happen on the Smith," Auchly said. "And those, depending on the time of the year, could be water-based hazards, bears, how to store your food properly."